Senator Seeks Information from Data Brokers

FCRA Consumer Reporting

On October 10, Senator Rockefeller (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, sent letters to nine data brokers seeking information about how those companies compile and sell consumer information. For example, Mr. Rockefeller asked that, by November 2, 2012 the data brokers (i) provide a list of the sources from which the brokers have collected or received data from or about consumers over the past four years, (ii) describe the methods of data collection employed, (iii) identify the consumer data collected during that period, and (iv) list the products or services offered to third parties. This follows similar requests made in August by a bipartisan group of members of the House of Representatives. Because the data brokers targeted by members of the respective chambers of Congress overlap only in part, a total of fourteen companies have been asked to produce information and materials to Congress.